Strike Vote by OSSTF/FEESO Halton Members Sends Strong Message

BURLINGTON, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 26, 2012) - Members from four Bargaining Units of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) District 20, Halton, have voted in favour of a strike mandate.

This includes members of the Teachers Bargaining Unit (TBU), Professional Student Services Personnel (PSSP), Office, Clerical and Technical Bargaining Unit (OCTU) and the Halton Secondary Occasional Teachers (HSOT), all employed with the Halton District School Board (HDSB).

The Teachers Bargaining Unit overwhelmingly voted 96% in favor. The OCTU, PSSP and HSOT units also received similarly strong strike mandates.

The current contract expired on August 31. Taking a strike vote is part of the normal legal process recognized by the Ontario Labour Relations Act.

Leslie Wolfe, Executive Officer with the OSSTF/FEESO stated that, "With these strike votes OSSTF/FEESO members in Halton District have clearly rejected the government's heavy handed imposition of undemocratic legislation and have provided OSSTF/FEESO with a clear mandate to proceed with local bargaining under the Ontario Labour Relations Act."

"The government created this crisis in education, one that could have been avoided by allowing our Bargaining Units to negotiate freely with our local board," said Brad Fisher, OSSTF/FEESO District 20, Halton, District and TBU President. "Our members see opposition to Bill 115 as a fight for the rights of all working people, a defense of every Canadian's constitutional rights, and a defining moment in determining the type of society that the next generation will inherit."

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.